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Author Topic: Question on wiring up quad boxes  (Read 7482 times)

John Schalk

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Question on wiring up quad boxes
« on: June 15, 2018, 01:41:18 PM »

I am using some extra 10/3 cable to wire up three new quad boxes.  I purchased OA Windsor units including milspec outlets.  On my first box, I had some trouble getting all of the fine strands of the 10 gauge SO cable into the opening allowed for the hot and the neutral, so for my second attempt, I purchased some large wire nuts and made small "tails" for each duplex outlet out of 12 gauge wire.  I was able to fit all of that inside the quad box without too much trouble, but I'm not in love with having wire nuts buried inside my portable quad boxes, so I thought I'd seek out some expert advice.

Are the wire nuts okay, or is there a better method to mate 10 gauge SO cable to a 20 amp duplex receptacle?
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2018, 04:27:55 PM »

I am using some extra 10/3 cable to wire up three new quad boxes.  I purchased OA Windsor units including milspec outlets.  On my first box, I had some trouble getting all of the fine strands of the 10 gauge SO cable into the opening allowed for the hot and the neutral, so for my second attempt, I purchased some large wire nuts and made small "tails" for each duplex outlet out of 12 gauge wire.  I was able to fit all of that inside the quad box without too much trouble, but I'm not in love with having wire nuts buried inside my portable quad boxes, so I thought I'd seek out some expert advice.

Are the wire nuts okay, or is there a better method to mate 10 gauge SO cable to a 20 amp duplex receptacle?

Yes, pigtails are the accepted way.
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Stephen Swaffer

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2018, 12:48:33 PM »

If you wanted something better, I'd recomend these

https://eshop.wago.com/JPBC/0_5StartPage.jsp?TopNavi=0_6TopNavi.jsp&Zone=6&Hauptframe=%2FJPBC%2FCommonPageHandler.jsp&activatedPage=CATALOGPAGE

They are a leverlock from Wago-I'm seeing a price of 56 cents each from Crescent Electric, so pricier than wirenuts-but the next smaller version (only good to #12) is really nice-I love them as long as I am not paying for them!  I used to be skeptical, but after being around them for years, I've never seen a Wago spring lock device fail from a bad connection.  In a situation like a this with frequent handling and vibration, these would probably be the most secure option.
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Steve Swaffer

Jonathan Johnson

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2018, 01:55:35 PM »

If you wanted something better, I'd recomend these

https://eshop.wago.com/JPBC/0_5StartPage.jsp?TopNavi=0_6TopNavi.jsp&Zone=6&Hauptframe=%2FJPBC%2FCommonPageHandler.jsp&activatedPage=CATALOGPAGE

They are a leverlock from Wago-I'm seeing a price of 56 cents each from Crescent Electric, so pricier than wirenuts-but the next smaller version (only good to #12) is really nice-I love them as long as I am not paying for them!  I used to be skeptical, but after being around them for years, I've never seen a Wago spring lock device fail from a bad connection.  In a situation like a this with frequent handling and vibration, these would probably be the most secure option.

Linky is brokey. Maybe you were aiming for this:

WAGO Compact splicing connector (222-412)

But that part is only rated for up to 12 AWG wire. Since the OP wants to connect 10 AWG to 12 AWG, that connector won't work. I couldn't find any rated for 10 AWG on the site in the 2 minutes I spent there.
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Stephen Swaffer

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2018, 02:59:01 PM »

#221-613 was the part I had in mind-not sure why I can't make a link to it-seems like manufactureres want to make it hard to find (or share) their products sometimes.
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Steve Swaffer

Jonathan Johnson

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2018, 03:28:16 PM »

#221-613 was the part I had in mind-not sure why I can't make a link to it-seems like manufactureres want to make it hard to find (or share) their products sometimes.

Here ya go:
WAGO | COMPACT Splicing Connectors (221-613)

Good for up to 10 AWG.

Yeah, the difficulty in doing direct links to products kind of irks me sometimes, too. For Amazon, I discovered you can make a link like amazon.com/dp/ASIN (where ASIN is Amazon's ID number for the product). There are many other sites where you can shorten the URL, too, once you discover the trick for that site. Unfortunately, most places don't give a direct page link, and the URL to the page is full of gobbledeygook related to how you found the product (searches, backlinks, etc.).
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John Schalk

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2018, 11:15:31 AM »

Those look pretty cool, but I have a question on how they work.  The product specs indicate that it is a 3 conductor connector, so will each one of the slots accept two 12 ga and one 10 ga wire?  If so, it definitely looks like it would be easier to work with and stuff into my OA Windsor quad box.

As far as buying them goes, Crescent Electric sells them individually so I can order less than a full box, but they're nicking me $9 S&H, for total cost of $15 for 10 connectors.  I need 4, but a few spares wouldn't hurt, so does anyone see a better deal than Crescent's?
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Stephen Swaffer

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2018, 01:29:20 PM »

Each hole is rated for from 20-10 AWG solid or stranded.  YOu flip up the lever, insert the wire, and flip lever back down clamping wire.  Unlike push to connects, these are reusable and work well with stranded wire.
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Steve Swaffer

John Schalk

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2018, 01:34:00 PM »

Each hole is rated for from 20-10 AWG solid or stranded.  YOu flip up the lever, insert the wire, and flip lever back down clamping wire.  Unlike push to connects, these are reusable and work well with stranded wire.

Does that mean that I need one of these for each conductor?  If so, then I would need three of these for each quad box?  If that's the case, that might be a pretty tight fit.
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Jonathan Johnson

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Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2018, 02:17:25 PM »

Does that mean that I need one of these for each conductor?  If so, then I would need three of these for each quad box?  If that's the case, that might be a pretty tight fit.

Yes. They are designed for one wire per hole.
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Question on wiring up quad boxes
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2018, 02:17:25 PM »


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